Michigan Drivers Help Test Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communication Tech

Cars have become much safer and more efficient since Henry Ford first introduced
the “Model A” in 1903. But as long as cars remain operated
by humans, we will not be able to protect all drivers and passengers against
perhaps the most common car accident threat: human error.

Thanks to researchers at major universities and companies like Google,
fully autonomous cars could become widely used within our lifetimes. Until
then, however, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants
to implement widespread use of other technologies to bridge the gap between
human and machines. In fact, researchers here in Michigan are currently
working on vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology designed to detect
crash hazards while they can still be avoided and to immediately warn drivers.

The federal government is funding a pilot program conducted in Ann Arbor
by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. About
3,000 vehicles in the city have been outfitted with wireless transmitters
than can send and receive information approximately 10 times in a single second.

According to Transportation Department estimates, 80 percent of car accidents
that aren’t caused by impaired drivers are potentially preventable.
Vehicle-to-vehicle transmitters could be the technology that starts bringing
down crash rates considerably. Just as promising is the low cost of implementation.
Transmitters can be added to current vehicles, and by 2020, experts predict,
transmitters will only add a few hundred dollars to the cost of a vehicle.

Michigan may no longer have the high volume of auto manufacturing jobs
that it once did. But it is exciting to hear that Michigan is still helping
the United States drive more safety and securely by helping test this
innovative technology.

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